Yieldable door



O. C. ECKEL YIELDABLE DOOR Oct. 19, 1965 Filed Aug. '7, 1965 United States Patent Oiice 3,212,561 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 3,212,561 YIELDABLE DOOR Oliver C. Eckel, P.O.Box 226, Carlisle, Mass. Filed Aug. 7, `1963, Ser. No. 300,574 The portion of the term of the patent subsequent to Sept. 1, 1981, has been disclaimed 2 Claims. (Cl. 160-354) This invention relates to a door `and especially to one that yields upon impact.

Reference is made to my pending patent application Serial No. 236,081, ling date November 7, 1962, now Patent No. 3,146,826, and Serial No. 242,276, iling date December 4, 1962, and now Patent No. 3,146,827.

One object of my invention is to provide a door, the body of which is constructed of a combination of relatively inexpensive materials, yet is sufliciently resilient so that the body will yield when forcibly struck and thereby avoiding fracturing or damaging it.

Another object is to combine a resilient portion with and between, other materials that are rrn, to form the main portion of a door body which will yield when struck on either side, as by -a truck.

A further object is to so construct said door body that it is simple to assemble and the main body thereof is made of materials that are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.

The foregoing and other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, may be -accomplished by a construction, combination and arrangement of parts such as is disclosed by the drawing. The nature of the invention is such as to render it susceptible to various changes and modifications, and therefore, I am not to be limited to the construction disclosed by the drawing, nor to the particular parts described in the specification; but am entitled to all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of my claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational View showing my yieldable door in position of use.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective View showing a resilient connector 4in combination with a mounting portion of the door body.

As illustrated, my door 10 may serve as a single door or as a part of a double door. lt is shown attached to a door frame or jamb 12. An inner end mounting portion 14 of the door body may be made of wood which has `a pivot mounting portion or groove 16 therein at the inner end, while a reduced or outer end portion 18 serves as an attaching portion.

An outer end portion of the door body has a nonresilient portion 20 shown as laminated with 3 plies of wood veneers. Spaced from the latter and opposite thereto is another non-resilient portion 22 shown as laminated with 3 said plies. A portion 24 of resilient material such as rubberized hair is between and preferably cemented or otherwise attached to said non-resilient portions 20 and 22. This rubberized hair portion 24 is preferably at least equal in thickness to either of said laminated portions. For instance said laminations may measure 1%; inch, being made of three 1A inch veneers, while said rubberized portion 24 may also be inch thick. Since a substantial yielding of the door body is desirable said resilient portion 24 should be of substantial thickness so as to permit considerable yielding movement regardless of which face portion of the door body is struck.

Said door body has `an outer cover sheet r26 of rubber or other resilient material that extends from a resilient connector 30, laterreferred to, across said laminated portion 20 t'o the outer end ofthe door body and thence across said laminated portion 22 'to said resilient connector 30. Said cover sheet 26 forms the outer end extremity of the door body since it is spaced, as at 27, from the outer ends of said lamination and resilient material. A window 28 is provided in said door body.

Located at the inner end of said non-resilient portions 20 and 22 and said rubberized portion 24, is said connector 30. It is made of rubber or other strong, resilient material, the main body 32 of which is solid except for a hole 34 intermediate the outer extremities that extends vertically through said main body 32 when the door is in normal use. This hole 34 permits distortion of adjoining portions of the rubber when the door is forcibly struck.

Said connector 30 has two attaching extensions 36 and 38 at its outer end that are spaced apart and are inset from opposite faces of said connector body 32 whereby a recess 36a is provided opposite said extension 36 and a recess 38a opposite said extension 38. Opposite end portions of said cover sheet 26 extend into said recesses 36a and 38a to thereby provide smooth outer faces for said door from said connector body 32 to the outer end thereof. The inner end portions of said non-resilient portions 20 and 22 and said resilient portions 24 extend between said extensions 36 and 38. The end portions of said cover sheet 26 are held to said attaching extensions 36 and 38 and the latter to said laminated portions 20 and 22 respectively by staples 39.

Said connector 30 also has two attaching extensions 40 and 42 that extend from said body 32 towards the inner end of the door, tapering in thickness in that direction, and being spaced apart. These latter extensions commence at a point that is preferably ush with the outer face surfaces of said body 32.

Adjacent the inner end and lower part of my door is a pivot bearing 46 which is attached to said door jamb 12 in any well known way. A pivot member 48, shown as a length of metal pipe, movably extends into said bearing 48 and said groove 16. A cam 50 near the top of my door is customarily fixed to said door frame 12. It has a cam follower 52 that rides on said cam 50 and is fixed to said pipe 48 by a screw 53. There are two connector plates 54 and 56 at opposite sides of said door inner end mounting portion 14, being attached by bolts 58 that extend through said plate 56, said extension 42, said outer end portion 18, said extension 40 and said plate 54. Said bolts 58 are retained by the usual nuts 60. Said connector plates 54 and 56 extend partly around said pivot member 48 and are made of metal or other strong material.

What I claim is:

- 1. A door comprising inner and outer end body portions spaced apart and a resilient connector between and connected to said body portions and forming part of the door body and having an intermediate opening extending longitudinally, two rst attaching extensions extending from the outer end portions of said connector and spaced apart, and two second attaching extensions extending from the inner end portion of said connector and spaced apart, each said latter extension tapering in thickness towards the inner end of the door and commencing at a point that is flush with the outer surfaces of said connector and Whose outer faces extend diagonally outward toward said outer end body portion, said inner body portion extending into the space between said latter two extensions, the outer surfaces of said inner body portion References Cited by the Examiner being flush lwith and in alignment .with the outer sur- UNITED STATES PATENTS faces of sa1d latter extenslons, sald outer body portion extending into the space between said rst at- 11948942 2/34 ROSS 20-69 taching extensions, connector plates lying along said 5 2,720,920 10/55 Eckel 20-35 X aligned surfaces, and means connecting said plates, said 2,760,567 8/56 Eckel et al 160-368 second two extensions and said inner body portion. 2,795,272 6/ 57 McBerty i60-199 2. A door as set forth in claim 1, said means including 2,815,808 12/57 Eckel 160-354 bolts extending through said inner body portion, Said 3,146,826 9/64 Eckel i60-354 second attaching extensions and said plates, and means 10 to retain said bolts in the aforesaid position. HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DOOR COMPRISING INNER AND OUTER END BODY PORTIONS SPACED APART AND A RESILIENT CONNECTOR BETWEEN AND CONNECTED TO SAID BODY PORTIONS AND FORMING PART OF THE DOOR BODY AND HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE OPENING EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY, TWO FIRST ATTACHING EXTENSIIONS EXTENDING FROM THE OUTER END PORTIONS OF SAID CONNECTOR AND SPACED APART, AND TWO SECOND ATTACHING EXTENSIONS EXTENDING FROM THE INNER END PORTION OF SAID CONNECTOR AND SPACED APART, EACH SAID LATTER EXTENSION TAPERING IN THICKNESS TOWARDS THE INNER END OF THE DOOR AND COMMENCING AT A POINT THAT IS FLUSH WITH THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID CONNECTOR AND WHOSE OUTER FACES EXTEND DIAGONALLY OUTWARD TOWARD SAID OUTER END BODY PORTION, SAID INNER BODY PORTION EXTENDING INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID LATTER TWO EXTENSIONS, THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID INNER BODY PORTION BEING FLUSH WITH AND IN ALIGNMENT WIT THE OTHER SURFACES OF SAID LATTER EXTENSIONS, SAID OUTER BODY PORTION EXTENDING INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID FIRST ATTACHING EXTENSIONS, CONNECTOR PLATES LYING ALONG SAID ALIGNED SURFACES, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID PLATES, SAID SECOND TWO EXTENSIONS AND AID INNER BODY PORTION. 